Veteran activist Mab Segrest takes readers along on her travels to view a world experiencing extraordinary change. She visits Beijing, for the Fourth World Conference on Women, Atlanta, to examine gentrified Olympic development, Memphis, for the twentieth anniversary of Elvis's death, Honolulu, for a conference linking gay issues, and Johannesburg and Harare, Zimbabwe, for a world gathering of Christians.
The book is a journey of both intellectual and emotional discovery. As she travels from place to place, Segrest speculates on the effects of globalization and urban development on people, examines the struggles for racial, economic, gender, and sexual equality, and narrates her own powerful history as a lesbian in the American South. The book's title takes off from the African idea of ubuntu, which roughly translates as "born to belonging." From the principle that we all belong to the human community, Segrest uses her personal experience as a filter for larger political and cultural issues. Her writing traverses the globe, bringing together such diverse groups as the Ku Klux Klan in North Carolina, fledging gay rights activists in Zimbabwe, and resistance fighters in El Salvador who have seen the enemy mutate from an openly oppressive government to more amorphous economic depression with its attendant alienation. Segrest expertly plumbs her own personal experiences for organizing principles and maxims to combat racism, homophobia, sexism, and economic exploitation.